


The Arrival

by Ink_Gypsy



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Frodo Baggins/Samwise Gamgee - Freeform, Gen, The Baggins Birthday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-04 06:08:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12163050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ink_Gypsy/pseuds/Ink_Gypsy
Summary: No one was more excited about the arrival of Frodo Baggins in Hobbiton than young Sam Gamgee.





	The Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Written today to celebrate September 22, the fictional birthday shared by J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved Lord of the Rings characters, Mr. Bilbo Baggins and Mr. Frodo Baggins.

The Shire had been buzzing for weeks about the arrival of Master Frodo Baggins, the newly adopted heir of Mr. Bilbo Baggins, and no one was more excited about that arrival than young Samwise Gamgee. Sam knew Mr. Bilbo because his Gaffer tended the gardens at Bag End, and sometimes brought Sam along so he could begin to learn the trade.

Most folks in Hobbiton thought Mr. Bilbo was an odd one, having once gone on a long adventure with a wizard and a band of dwarves, and having come home with treasures beyond imagination. But to Sam, Mr. Bilbo seemed like any other hobbit, except he wore finer clothes, and had a great love for books, of which he had many. In fact, Mr. Bilbo had a whole room, just for his books. Sam had seen it with his own eyes.

Mr. Bilbo was odd in other ways, too, but good odd, if such a thing could be said. The Gaffer was a servant who worked for Mr. Bilbo, but the Master of Bag End never treated him as such, always showing him the utmost respect. And rather than being annoyed at having a young halfling under foot in his garden, when Sam came to work with him, Mr. Bilbo always gave him a honey cake or some other sweet treat he would never get at home. He knew Sam’s father wouldn’t approve, so when he invented some excuse for Sam to come inside and secretly passed him the treat, he’d always say, “We’ll just keep this our little secret, all right, young Samwise?”

Mr. Bilbo had never married, and Sam often wondered if he got lonely living all by himself, but now, with the coming of Frodo, surely Mr. Bilbo wouldn’t be lonely anymore. Sam had hoped Frodo would be closer to his age, but the new young master was much older than he was. Still, his coming was the biggest news ever in Hobbiton, except for those rare occasions when Gandalf the Grey came by to visit Mr. Bilbo.

The day Frodo arrived was not the Gaffer’s day to tend the gardens, so Sam had no reason to be at Bag End when the young master arrived, but his curiosity got the best of him. Since he was small enough, he hid himself among the shrubbery to wait, and after so much time had passed that Sam had begun to think Frodo wasn’t coming after all, at last, Frodo arrived. He acted like company, knocking on Mr. Bilbo’s green door. When Mr. Bilbo opened the door, the two just looked at each other, uncertain, but then Mr. Bilbo and the younger hobbit embraced, and Master Frodo went inside with him, closing the door behind them.

Sam was about to go home when the green door opened again and Mr. Bilbo stepped outside. “You can come out now, young Samwise,” Mr. Bilbo called out to him. Stricken, Sam came out of his hiding place, scarlet-faced and shaking. If Mr. Bilbo told the Gaffer Sam had been spying on his betters, he’d be punished for sure, but instead of scolding him, Mr. Bilbo invited Sam inside.

When Sam entered Bag End, he stopped short, mouth agape at the sight of the new young master. Sam’s greatest wish was to go see the elves some day. He’d been told that elves were creatures of rare beauty, but he couldn’t imagine any elf could be more beautiful than the hobbit standing in Mr. Bilbo’s living room.

“Frodo,” Mr. Bilbo introduced them, “this is Master Samwise Gamgee. His father Hamfast tends my garden, and young Sam sometimes helps him.”

The beautiful Master Frodo squatted down so he was at eye level with Sam, and extended his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Master Samwise,” he said in a melodious voice.

Sam wasn’t sure what came over him, but rather than taking Frodo’s offered hand, he flung his small arms around Frodo’s neck and hugged him. His face even redder after having taken such a liberty, Sam backed away from Frodo, then ran out the open door without saying a word. When he was across the lane, he chanced a look back over his shoulder and saw that Master Frodo Baggins was standing in the open doorway looking at him. To Sam’s amazement, he saw that instead of being outraged at Sam’s improper behavior, Mr. Bilbo’s heir was smiling.


End file.
